Atonement

This has been quite a year for literary adaptations. No Country For Old Men, Love In The Time Of Cholera, There Will Be Blood, Starting Out In The Evening and others I'm sure I'm forgetting are all based on books. Atonement too is an adaptation of a novel. Of course I haven't read any of these books. A sad indictment of my life? Perhaps but to be fair I find myself reading a lot of non-fiction scholarship and barely found time in the studying and movie going to get through my annual reading of "Doctor Zhivago" by Boris Pasternak. And since I have never enjoyed one single adaptation of that my favorite book, maybe its better that I haven't read most of these books.

Atonement follows the lives of three key characters through the years surrounding World War 2. Robbie (James McAvoy) is a grounds keeper for the wealthy Tallis family of which two daughters, Cecilia (Keira Knightley and Briony (early on by Saoirse Ronan and later by Romala Garai). A case of misunderstanding by Briony leads to tragedy early in these three people's lives. As Briony ages and realizes her mistake she tries to make up for her sins. We follow Robbie as he spends time in France as a soldier attempting to escape to Dunkirk.

This film has a lot to speak for it. It is visually quite stunning. All the actors do a nice job with their roles. There is also a big reveal type ending that makes you rethink a bit of what you just saw. And yet despite all its technical achievement I just found myself not caring that much. There were just a few too many require leaps in narrative and I honestly kind of figured out what the reveal would probably be before the film reached that point because of course everyone including me has mentioned that there is one.

And although I said everyone does a nice job with their roles, no one does an amazing job (with one exception). Saoirse Ronan as young Briony with her bright eyed innocence and imagination are the most amazing part of the film to watch and made all the more interesting by the less interesting Romola Garai (less interesting but by no means uninteresting).

The one other thing that everyone has been talking about is a tracking shot of soldiers at Dunkirk. There are only two views on this shot that seem to let you know exactly what you will think of this film. If you watch the tracking shot and think "technically proficient but so what?" that pretty much sums up what you will probably think of the film. If you watch this shot and think wow this speaks to something (I don't know what I'm in the former group) then you probably like the film. Not that this fact helps you, because of course you have to see the movie to see the shot.

In the end although I think the Joe Wright has a lot of talent, this film just didn't end up working for me.